The Dark Triforce
by Total Darkness
Summary: To be continued at another date. I'm busy with other fics at the moment and this one needs a serious rewriting which is something I do not have time for currently. My apologies.
1. It Begins

It was night. The only light came from a full moon that was occasionally covered by passing clouds, putting the land of Hyrule into darkness. A warrior stood alone in a field gripping his sword tightly even with his slowly failing strength. The bodies of many dead lie strewn about the field. Their crimson blood coated the grass but since it was night, the blood appeared black. The warrior himself didn't go undamaged. His body was covered with sword slashes and cuts. Blood flowing freely from each wound. His face was bruised and cut and blood dripped slowly from his mouth. His once blonde hair was now coated with mud and blood spray. His green tunic was more brownish-red with all the blood that had soaked into it. His sword was no longer its glittering silver. It was now red with fresh enemy blood that dripped off to the ground. Bits of flesh were still impaled on the sword's never dulling tip. He was breathing heavily. His shoulders and arms rose and fell with each of his labored breaths.  
The last of the lizaflos were shocked at how many of their clan this lone man had slaughtered. But they could sense his failing strength. He was weakening fast. This would be their chance to finish him. The leader barked orders in their native tongue and the surviving lizaflos began to advance. They watched him close his eyes and tense up suddenly. The lizaflos felt confused and stopped advancing. Suddenly the warrior snapped open his eyes, they were no longer the clear cerulean blue but were bright crimson red. His gaze sent cold chills down the lizaflos' spines and gave them light feeling stomachs. The warrior's gaze spelled only one thing, death. He cackled slightly as a devilish grin spread across his face. He gripped his sword with some newfound strength. His wounds forgotten. His eyes glanced at all the lizaflos and he enjoyed seeing them cringe in fear as his eyes went past them.  
"Now die," He said in an evil tone.  
All the lizaflos jumped back in terror at his words. The warrior rushed forward with amazing speed and begin to slash uncontrollably. Body parts flew this way and that and the lizaflos fell dead where they stood. Their crimson blood flew in the air and landed on anything below. The leader stood alone as all of his companions fell dead at the hands of this juggernaut swordsman. Finally the warrior stopped slashing and stood before the leader with his back facing the lizaflos. The lizaflos began to tremble with fear and then the swordsman turned his head to the side just enough so that he could see the leader lizard warrior through the corner of his burning red eyes.  
He cackled again and muttered, "Worthless piece of flesh."  
He then swung around and stabbed the sword through the leader's chest in the blink of an eye. The leader fell to his knees and the swordsman smiled his evil grin.  
The leader then mumbled, in the language the swordsman understood, with his last breath, "Forgive me mas.t.ter."  
He fell limp on the sword and the warrior smiled.  
"I doubt he will," He said with an evil look of sympathy.  
He then pulled the sword out of the lizard's chest with a nasty sucking noise. He held the sword vertically in front of his face, the lizaflos leader's blood dripped down in a surge over his hand, some dripped to the ground and some traveled down his arm to drip off at the elbow. That sinister grin spread across his face once again.  
"Who else wants some?" He asked threateningly.  
A noise behind him made him swing around. There behind him, a lizaflos, missing an arm, slowly got up. It staggered a bit as it did so. The swordsman smiled again and walked over to stand directly in front of it. The weakened lizard shuddered with fright. The warrior took the flat side of the sword and placed it under its chin, forcing it to look at him.  
"What's the matter, you want to challenge me again?"  
The lizaflos shook its head as much as its limited strength allowed it.  
"Aw, that's a shame. I was hoping for a challenge."  
With his free hand, the warrior shot through its vulnerable chest and pulled out its still beating heart. The lizaflos' body fell off the sword onto the ground. The warrior tossed the heart behind him with a victorious smirk on his face.  
"Coward."  
He turned to look at the moon, which now was clear of clouds.  
"The world hasn't seen the last of me. Hehehehe."  
He closed his eyes and they were snapped back open and were the cerulean blue once again.  
The now exhausted swordsman looked around at all the destruction but he no longer had the strength to stand. He fell to his knees and then fell over to lay on his back with a slight splash in the blood. 


	2. What's Happening?

"Link? Wake up."  
"Huh what?"  
Link sat up groaning. His head ached along with the rest of his body. He looked around himself. At least a hundred dead lizalfos bodies were strewn about the field. The grass was dry now but stained dark red. There was the smell of blood in the air and it made those who smelled it recoil in disgust. But Link was used to the smell, after being in countless battles with Ganondorf's minions. When Ganondorf was in Hyrule that is. Now he was trapped in the Evil Realm of his own creation.  
"Don't you remember what happened last night?"  
Link snapped his head towards the fairy.  
"No. What happened last night Navi?"  
"Oh. Well you should have seen it! I mean you scared the living daylights out of them. It did get a bit gross at the end but, I never knew you to do things like that."  
"What?"  
"Oh never mind but I think you should go clean yourself up a bit," Navi giggled.  
Link looked down at himself. Both his hands were coated with dried blood, his tunic was not green anymore, his face was cut up and still bleeding the tiniest bit, his hair was a muddy reddish-blonde, and his sword could use a good cleaning.  
Link stood up and staggered over to a tree and leaned against it. He still found it hard to breathe.  
Link groaned, "Man Navi, I still feel as though someone stole all my strength. I can barely stand."  
Navi floated down to where he could see her more easily.  
"I think all you need is some rest and before you know it, you'll be up and running around again."  
Link gave her a weak smile.  
"You sound so sure."  
"Hey, would I lie to you?"  
"I'd have to think about that one."  
"Hey! You better be sarcastic about that!"  
"Navi, I'm so tired I don't think my brain is working right."  
"Let's hope it's working."  
Link sighed a bit and began to walk forward but not very well. Navi swooped down in front of his pain-racked face.  
"Where are you going?"  
"Home."  
Navi had to think that one over. Link moved around so much, did he really have a place to call home? Navi decided to ask.  
"Where's home?"  
"Home," He muttered softly.  
Navi sighed. He must really be tired then if he couldn't answer. Navi looked in the direction he was going and saw he was headed for the Kokiri Forest.  
Well it's one of the safest places he can go to. Navi shrugged and followed Link, helping him stay on his feet all the way there.  
The tunnel that served as the entrance for the Kokiri Village was almost never traveled except by Link who wandered in and out. Link now slowly walked leaning against the side of the tunnel for support. Navi stopped him when he reached the end.  
"You wait here and I'll go get Saria," Navi told Link before flying off.  
Link moaned and sunk to his knees and momentarily closed his eyes. When he opened them again, a girl Kokiri was staring at him. Link jumped in surprise but it looked more like he was slowly sitting up.  
The girl had sunshine yellow hair put into pigtails, crystal clear blue eyes, a forest green tank top, a matching green skirt, and ankle high green boots. She looked at him with curiosity. Link just laid his head against the wall. The girl then spoke.  
"Hi. My name is Jessica. What happened to you?"  
Link just mumbled something that was almost inaudible.  
"Did this happen from the outside?"  
Link barely nodded his head.  
The strange girl called Jessica looked Link over as if examining him.  
"If you don't get help soon, those cuts on your chest could get infected and kill you."  
Link just thought, Thank you. I had to know that. That makes me feel better.  
Jessica whipped a bottle out of her pocket and opened it. It had some sort of cream in it.  
"Now you're going to have to take your shirt off if you want me to help you."  
Link just stared at her, not in surprise but in exhaustion.  
The girl stared back and nodded. She slipped his shirt up from behind his tunic through its huge slash rips. She then took some of the cream and rubbed it on the huge slashes on his chest. To Link, it felt quite soothing instead of some other medications for some other bad wounds he's had. After she was done, Jessica closed the bottle and put it away and covered the slashes with his shirt once again. Link eventually felt a lot better and didn't understand why. Jessica just smiled.  
"It will take a few days but that cream will help totally heal those cuts."  
Link finally said his first words to her. "What is that stuff?"  
"Just a simple medicine you can make."  
Link raised an eyebrow.  
"Don't worry about it. I'll see you again sometime," Jessica said waving bye and running off.  
Link was still confused and didn't really know what was going on. He was still puzzled about the night before when he had blacked out in the fight with at least fifteen lizalfos and waking back up to see them all lying dead on the ground.  
"What the heck is going on?" He muttered to himself.  
Link looked up to see Saria standing by him. She smiled at him.  
"Got yourself into another fight didn't you?"  
"Yes, I guess you could say that," Link said looking at the ground.  
"Come on, it'll be awhile before you're leaving again."  
Saria grabbed his arm and helped him up and acted something like a support while he walked. Saria took him to her house and brought him to a guest room. She walked him in and helped him sit down on the bed.  
"You can stay here until you can walk on your own again."  
"Thanks," Link said in a rough sounding tone.  
"Your throat must be dry, you need some water." Saria said getting up and leaving and carefully closing the door behind herself.  
The last thing Link remembered was his head hitting the pillow and falling asleep. 


	3. A Mystery yet to be Discovered

Deep within the Haunted Wastelands of the Gerudo Valley, a tall black tower rises above the winds of sand casting a sinister shadow in its wake. It had risen from the ruins of Ganon's Tower but to serve a much darker purpose. Rumors are that sometimes at night, you can hear the screams of something's last moments alive, but they're only rumors.  
In a place where no light reaches, a throne resides, concealed in shadow along with a figure. A portal hovers above a clawed pedestal, its claws reaching for the sky. A great evil lurks in the room causing the room to grow cold; cold enough to chill the bones. The only light, if any, comes from the portal that projects a scene of the field battle. It is being watched closely.  
-All were destroyed, good. He is progressing better than I anticipated-  
Three Lizalfos suddenly enter the room and get down before the throne.  
"My Lord, we have been unable to locate the final carrier," The first Lizalfo said, shaking as he spoke.  
-Unable!? Unable!? I only want to hear good reports. I will not accept failure-  
A shadowed hand raised and some of the darkness seemed to roil and merge together, taking the form of a large black Wolfos; its pupiless red eyes burned with unruly rage and hunger, its white dagger fangs bared.  
-Juten despises failure-  
The figure raises and the Shadow Wolfos attacked the Lizalfos that spoke. The other two cowered in fear as the first's bloodcurdling screams broke through the night as the Shadow Demon overtook it.  
  
Silence  
  
The two uncovered the eyes to see the Wolfos, Juten, standing over the Lizalfo's carcass with its ragged red flesh hanging in Juten's jaws.  
-Failure is out of the question-  
Juten lunged forward and trapped the two Lizalfos under its massive front paws. Blood from its previous kill dripped on them. Its hot putrid breath filled their sensitive nostrils, overloading their smell sensory organs.  
-Find me the last carrier or pay the price-  
Juten growled and withdrew away from its captives. It walked over to its kill, picked it up on its mouth, and disappeared in a swirl of black fire.  
-You have been spared-  
Both Lizalfos bowed deeply. "We are grateful Master to be seen worthy in your eyes. We will carry out your will."  
-Find the final carrier. Be gone-  
The Lizalfos bowed again and scrambled through the doors to have a Lizalfos, fully dressed in battle armor, walk through the door and get down on one knee, bowing its head.  
"Master, the plan is going on schedule. Everything is how you ordered."  
-Good. Then the world will see how things work through my eyes-  
Then two glowing red eyes appeared and settled on the lizard general.  
-If you fail.-  
"Don't worry my Lord, I won't."  
-I want him alive. Do not kill him-  
"I won't master, I won't."  
The lizalfos stood with its head down, bowed, turned and left. The red eyes turned back to the portal. An evil cackle, that promised instant death, is heard echoing throughout the dark room.  
-You puzzled about what happened? Come to me and you will know- 


	4. Link's Death?

Saria paced back and forth by one of her small chairs. The night sky twinkled with thousands of stars, but Saria did not look at them as she always did every night; her mind was else where. Navi floated nearby silently, lost in her own thoughts. Seven years had passed since Saria had last seen Link; that had been after Ganon's defeat and the rewinding of time. Link still had possession of the Master Sword since replacing it in the pedestal would totally activate the time magic and Ganondorf would be free because he was defeated in the future, not the past they all had been returned to. After saying goodbye, Link left for lands unknown and seemed he wouldn't come back. The funny thing, to Saria, was Link had stumbled onto her doorstep, battle worn and half dead after seven years of absence.  
Saria's mind traveled to the injuries she had seen on Link's body when she bandaged him up. He had several deep slashes on his chest that could surely kill him if they got infected; she had been quick about it and stitched them up. She knew fairy magic would help, but she couldn't leave Link unattended for too long. He had lost a lot of blood and had passed out in the short time it took her to get him some water. She was no doctor, but did everything she could think of to help him and hoped the forest's magic would help heal him as well. When she saw how many cuts, slashes, and bruises Link had all over his body, she began to wonder about what had happened to him.  
Saria stopped pacing and sat down. Her life-long friend was at death's door and she could do nothing about it. For all she knew, he could die or could be dead at that moment. The powerful urge to run to the room and check on him was strong but something held her back; she didn't know what. For the first time, Saria realized how quiet the house was and Navi wasn't talking like she always did. Saria looked up at the fairy who gave a sigh and floated down a hall to the room Link was in. Saria leaned back in her chair. She'd check on Link in a few minutes, after she tried to determine what had happened to him. Someone knocked on the door and Saria stood to answer it. When her hand touched the handle she thought, Who would be up this late? She opened the door to see Mido standing there.  
"Mido," She said with surprise. "What are you doing here?"  
"I'm sorry to bother this late at night, but I have some questions that need answering," Mido stated.  
"About what?"  
"About yesterday."  
Saria sighed and moved to the side so Mido could come in. She closed the door behind him and sat down with him in the kitchen.  
"So what can I do for you, Mido," She asked.  
"First, I want to know why he's back after leaving seven years ago," Mido said. "What does he want from us?"  
"I don't know why he's back, now, but the reason he's here, that I know, is that he's injured," Saria answered, but then added, "and could die."  
"He could die?"  
"He's going as we speak," Saria replied flatly.  
"Why don't we get a healing fairy to save him?" Mido suggested, his hands clenched in fists.  
"There's no time," Saria said. "I would've a long time ago if I could."  
"If I had known, I would've gotten one for you," Mido said putting his hands on Saria's shoulders.  
"You'd turn into a skull kid, Mido," Saria replied with a forced, small smile. "You don't know your way around the Lost Woods as I do."  
Mido took his hands off her shoulders.  
"You're right there," He said with a similar smile.  
Saria looked at the ground. "When I saw him after Navi told me, I was worried and relieved at the same time. He was covered in blood and couldn't stand very well. What happened to him is beyond my knowledge. If, and when, he wakes up, you can ask him," She explained.  
A tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away, but not before Mido noticed.  
"I just don't know what to do anymore," She whispered. "I'm about to lose one of my closest friends and am powerless to stop it even though I'm a sage. Even if I had healing powers, I have no clue on how to use them." Saria stopped talking to prevent herself from breaking down any further.  
Mido noticed how Saria acted when she spoke of Link, she liked him. No! It's more than that! Mido told himself. She loves him; she raised him and has a reason to love him. But this was a different kind of love that Mido had never seen before. All other questions Mido had, faded away since he saw how this topic effected Saria.  
"He'll make it," He said, trying to make Saria feel better. "He will. You just wait and see."  
Saria forced a smile. "You're a bad liar, Mido," She said.  
"I know," He replied. "but Link's been through worse, hasn't he? He's been inside a whale, inside an active volcano, countless dungeons and temples, and saved us and the world from Ganondorf. Would a battle, now, really kill him?"  
"I see where you're coming from, Mido," Saria whispered. "but he had deep slashes in his chest, too deep. If they get infected, his death is certain. That's why he's dying now."  
Mido looked at his feet. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked you about this," He mumbled.  
"No, it's okay," Saria said, causing Mido to look up. "Somebody should know about this."  
Mido opened his mouth to ask why but was stopped when Navi floated back in.  
"He's getting worse," The fairy said. "It took me forever to see him breathe and detect a pulse; it's so soft. I don't think he'll last the night. I'm sorry." With that, Navi drifted off slowly.  
Saria was up in an instant and bolted out of the room. Mido only stared after her, not knowing what to do next.  
Saria ran into the room and placed a hand on Link's forehead. She was a little relieved that he was still warm to the touch, but even that was fading. She clasped one of his bandaged hands and held it tightly.  
"Please don't die," She whispered, tears running down her cheeks. "We still need you, I still need you."  
Saria looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Mido standing behind her.  
"I'm sorry but he's too far gone. It's not worth it to waste away beside him," He said, helping Saria to her feet. "You're still needed here."  
Saria nodded and went with Mido out of the room. She looked back once and whispered, "Please, Link."  
  
* * * * * * *  
* * * *  
  
The cool night breeze blew in through the window, causing the curtains to sway with it. The room was dark except for the moon and stars that glittered in the black sky. Link laid perfectly still; too weak to move, too exhausted to breathe. With great effort and the last of his strength, he opened his eyes to see his surroundings, perhaps for the last time. What he saw was a woman sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at him. She wore an emerald green dress that trailed to the ground, her eyes were the same clear emerald, along with her hair that seemed to sway in a nonexistent breeze. Her entire body seemed luminescent and the colors were soft. Link was too exhausted to care much and closed his eyes again. The woman reached out and placed her hand on Link's right cheek. Link could feel warmth run from where her hand touched his face, to every part of his body. Link reopened his eyes, surprised at how much easier is was. He looked at the woman and she smiled softly back. As quickly as she had appeared, she vanished into thin air. Link tried to comprehend what had just happened, but dropped the attempt. He felt so much better than he had only seconds before but was still tired. With that, he yawned, rolled over, and went back to sleep. 


	5. Revival and Confusion

Yellow sunlight streamed in through the curtained window, bathing the room in a soft yellow glow. The small village was quiet, as that all of its residents were still within their houses. Song birds sang from the surrounding trees, giving a peaceful feel to the air. Link stirred slightly and opened his eyes. He sat up, gave a yawn and rubbed the drowsiness out of his eyes. As he stretched his arms, a familiar blue light floated into the room and stopped.  
"L-Link," she stuttered. "You're alive. You were practically dead last night."  
Link just returned her surprise with a broad grin. He was grateful just to be alive, though he did not now why. Navi just floated aimlessly near the door, not knowing how to act next. While she was busy doing that, Link was feeling the stitches on his chest. His fingers traced the three long lines diagonally from his left shoulder to his right side above his waist. He pulled his hand away as Navi seemed to snap back to herself. She buzzed around his head, spreading her blue sparkles allover. She was blabbing on about something that half of which Link couldn't understand. After a while, she had tired herself out and settled down on one of Link's shoulders, resting gently against his neck. Link leaned back against the head of the bed so he was still sitting up. He started thinking about how he was still alive at that moment. He knew all too well that he should be dead but he wasn't. Something strange had happened the night before, something Link knew had happened but couldn't remember. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Saria walk by the door and freeze in mid-step.  
"Oh my Goddesses," She whispered.  
She walked into the room, wearing an expression of shock, relief, and confusion. She fell to her knees beside the bed, her eyes never leaving Link. She was speechless. Just the night before, he was a few heartbeats from death yet there he was, alive and healthy. Link looked back at her, concern in his eyes.  
"Saria?" He asked. "Are you okay?"  
Happy tears welled up in Saria's crystal blue eyes and she flung her arms around him in a hug. She laid her head against his chest, feeling the stitches on her face. At that moment, Saria didn't care how this looked to anyone else, she was happy to hear Link's voice. At first, Link sat completely still with surprise, but when Saria cuddled closer to him, he wrapped one of his arms around her.  
"You sure you're feeling okay?" He asked her again.  
"I'm fine," She replied. "It's just that-that last night, you were going to die, but then here you are. You don't know what it's like to almost lose someone close to you while you can't prevent it." She released Link and went to the door. "You hungry? You look like you haven't eaten in a while."  
Link nodded his head.  
"I'll be back then," She said before slipping out into the hall.  
It had just occurred to him that he hadn't eaten since the day before he was attacked, and he didn't remember why. That attack still left him confused, he could only remember some of it and the rest was a blank. Link's fingers traced the three bumpy lines of stitches again. He remembered when he had gotten that. A memory of the pain rushed back to him and his jaws tensed tightly.  
"Damn Lizalfos," He muttered.  
Navi drifted off of Link's shoulder and floated where he could see her easily.  
"I've been with you all these years yet you still surprise me," The fairy said crossing her arms.  
"What makes you say that?" Link asked with a wry-like smirk.  
"I'm talking about how you slaughtered all those Lizalfos. I've never seen you fight like that before," She answered.  
Link cocked up an eyebrow at her. She returned his look with one of confusion.  
"You don't remember, do you?"  
Before Link could answer, Saria returned with a bowl of something. She sat on the edge of the bed and handed him the bowl. Almost immediately Link started shoveling the food into his mouth. Navi floated down near Saria.  
"When was the last time he ate anything?" Saria asked.  
"About four days ago. He started refusing to eat and well, you know him, he usually eats almost anything you put in front of him. That was worrying me, but at least he's eating something now," Navi replied.  
Link somehow managed to swallow everything he had put in his mouth all at once, since he gasped for air afterwards. Saria put a hand on his wrist to stop him for a second.  
"Slow down," She said, laughing slightly. "We don't want you choking to death, now do we?"  
Link laughed a little under his breath but went right back to eating. Saria watched him for awhile and then turned to Navi.  
"What happened to him?" She asked.  
"An ambush," The fairy replied. "It all happened so fast that he didn't know what hit him until it literally did. I still don't know why though."  
"It was clear that he was in a fight, but I didn't know how bad," Saria said to herself.  
"Let me tell you what happened," Link said putting the empty bowl on the floor. "At least what I remember. You see, three days ago Navi and I finally cleared the surrounding forests of Hyrule Field. I ran through the grasses, which were as tall as I am, to get to where it grew shorter so I could navigate better. It was night at the time and some clouds blocked out most of the moonlight for awhile. I heard noises and before I knew it, I was surrounded," Link explained.  
By now Link had pushed off the blanket and was sitting cross-legged on the bed. He was wearing a pair of navy-blue, looses fitting capris, just something comfortable, and his legs were just as bandaged as his arms. Saria felt sorry for him. When all those cuts healed up, more than half would become scars. Link went through more than any person she knew. A thought entered her mind, one she wished hadn't. 'At that rate, he won't live very long.' Saria regretted even considering thinking it. It wasn't his fault that he got attacked when he was just trying to get home.  
'then they just seemed to keep coming," Link ranted; apparently her had continued talking while Saria was thinking. "Then one got past my sword and slashed at me with his claws, my guess is it was an attempt to rip open my heart, but not before I stuck my sword through his back."  
Saria shook her head slightly. 'There he goes.' She thought. Link was the kind of guy that would tell you every detail of something he did, if he felt it was important or to simply push all your buttons until you couldn't take it any longer. The good thing was that he was outgrowing the ranting. 'This one is not as bad as some of the other ones.' Saria though to herself with a smile as Link demonstrated something like a sword swing as he talked. The last one she had heard from him was back when he was ten and it was how he had blackmailed Mido. She couldn't remember anything about it and doubted Link did either.  
"And that's all I can remember," Link said finishing his story.  
Saria snapped back from her thoughts.  
"Can you repeat that last part?" She asked.  
"After sometime, only a few were left and I couldn't fight them, even if I wanted too. I was exhausted so I closed my eyes and blacked out," Link repeated. "I figured that they had killed me, but then I woke up the next morning and they were all dead."  
Saria motioned for him to sit up straight and moved to his side. She started to undo a knot on one of the bandage strips.  
"I want to check on those bad slashes of yours and make sure they're healing alright," She said as she loosened a strip and began to unwind it. "I want to hear more about what happened. What were the things you were fighting? You failed to mention."  
"Lizalfos," Link answered, helping remove the bandages. "Six foot lizards that walk on their hind legs."  
"Oh, never seen one."  
"Don't want to," He said. "They're lightning fast, but easier to fight when there's one or two of them."  
"Instead of hundreds, I suppose."  
"Exactly."  
Saria finished unwrapping the strip and that loosened up the others and she pulled them all off. She bit her lip when her eyes settled on the stitches and this time she saw them clearly. The actually started on the back of his left shoulder but ended just short of his waist on his right side.  
The only words to escape from her mouth were, "That must've hurt."  
"It wasn't that bad," Link muttered, apparently lying.  
"You're a bad lair," Saria said with a smile. "Always have been."  
Link just gave a shrug and Saria went back to what she had started. She gave a soft laugh that caused Link to raise an eyebrow at her.  
"I've got good news and bad news," She said, covering her mouth with her hand to keep the giggles inside.  
"Good news first," Link said, somewhat amused and confused.  
"The good news is that your three huge slashes are totally healed. I don't know how you managed that, but you'll have three long scars," Saria said. "and the stitches don't need to be there anymore."  
"So you're saying that you have to take them out," Link said. "That's not too bad."  
"No, but the bad news is that you're not asleep for me to do it nor do I have anything to numb you up with so I can do it."  
"You're going to take them out of my skin while I'm awake!?" Link demanded, a little bit of fear reflected in his eyes.  
"Yes, I find that kind of ironic," Saria said smiling. "Compared with what you currently went through, this shouldn't be too bad."  
"Whoa! Now look who's lying!" Link said causing Navi to burst into laughter. "I honestly don't find it that funny," He muttered giving the fairy a glare.  
Navi put her hand on her forehead and looked away from him.  
"I don't know what came over me," She said in an obviously fake tone.  
Link simply rolled his eyes. Saria made Link lay back down a bit so she could work a little easily and him making his reluctance known every inch of the way. Saria simply smiled at him.  
"The quicker it starts, the faster it's over," She said, smiling slightly at the craziness of the situation.  
Link didn't answer. He had his jaws clenched tightly, knowing he wasn't going to like this. 


	6. Dead Men Tell no Tales

Darkness had taken the land once again as the black of night set in, like it always had. For four nights the moon had been full and showed no signs of waning. The nights were cool, too cool for the warm summer days that they followed. The setting around Hyrule Castle remained normal.\; the guards walked their rounds while the rest slept. Gentle breezes rustled the trees and plants of the courtyard, a stray leaf was sometimes blown into the courtyard's central fountain. It was always quiet at night, but something seemed misplaced.  
'It's too quiet.' A young guard thought to himself. His eyes nervously scanned the hallway that was his post. Usually he heard the sounds of the night creatures through the open windows, but it was as silent as death now. The guard's grip on his spear tightened with fear. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw movement. Automatically his spear went to its battle position, a bead of sweat ran down around his face. 'No one would be up this late.' He thought, knowing only the guards were. 'My shift isn't over for another hour.' He watched the shadows caused by the hallway torches for a long time. Slowly his spear was withdrawn to his side. He was beginning to feel extremely frightened. He knew the castle was ancient and who knew what still remained within the deepest of its bowels. He swallowed the lump in his throat, remembering the dead silence of the halls and outside. He shifted uneasily on his feet, his armor clinking softly with the movement.  
Suddenly a tall girl ran around the corner, to his right, and slammed him up against the wall, off his feet. She took her right gloved hand and throttled him. The guard grabbed her arm in an attempt to pull it away, but failed; her grip was like that of an iron clamp and her arm was just as unmoving. He gasped for air but barely got enough to fill his lungs. The girl's face was hidden behind her long hair, but the guard thought he saw a flash of red where eyes would be from behind the long strands. The girl's grip got tighter and blood started to seep out from under her fingers. Breathing soon became a distant dream as the guard's world began to fade. With the final seconds of his life, he caught a glimpse of her face. He recognized his killer but no longer had the breath to speak her name. The girl tightened her grip until the bones in his neck snapped apart and punctured through his throat. She threw his corpse down hard, blood flying from his neck on impact. She stood over him, licking one of her fingers, and gave a cold smirk.  
"What a worthless excuse of life," She muttered, picking up his spear and looking at it thoughtfully. "Didn't even try to fight back." She looked down the dark hall, the red irises burning. "Maybe the next few will prove challenging." The girl walked towards a shadowed hall, spear in hand, and seemed to disappear.  
  
Another guard, with his partner, walked quickly down the dark hall. He had caught a whiff of something he didn't like. His pace was one of that of fear; he was afraid something horrible had happened, but little did he know he was right. His partner was walking quickly behind, his sword drawn and reflecting the torch light. He, as well, had felt something bad in the air. The older guard rounded the corner and stopped dead in his tracks, causing the other to crash right into him. He simply stood still, his eyes focused on the dead body on the floor; its blood pooling around it. The other guard straightened himself and looked at his partner.  
"What's wrong?" He asked but then noticed the corpse. "Oh."  
"In the name of Din, what the hell happened!?" The other screeched. After he settled down, he pushed his friend back around the corner. "Stay here," He commanded. "If whatever did this is still around, at least one of us has to get away alive."  
With that, he turned away and headed back to the body. He knelt beside it, trying to avoid the ever growing blood pool, and started to determine what had happened. The vertebrae of the body's neck were broken and sticking though the skin, oozing blood. The body's icy blue eyes were glazed over, freezing the fear of its last living moments. He could see no other injuries to the body and so determined that the death was caused by strangling.  
The next thing he felt was a stabbing pain in his back that froze all functions of his inner organs. His head fell limp and the last of his vision, saw a spear tip protruding from his chest, and armored breast plate, and it had released a free flow of his blood.  
The girl put her foot on his back and pushed him down as she pulled out the spear. Her red eyes watched the blood trickle down the stainless steel point to the wooden handle.  
"He wasn't as fun as the other," She muttered, her eyes traveling from the spear to the newly dead body.  
The last guard watched in horror as his friend was killed by the girl. He closed his eyes with the mental pain. Though his friend told him to stay put, he ran towards the girl and brought his sword down at her in a rush, but she simply jumped out of the way.  
"Fresh prey," She said with cold glee as she landed.  
The guard only raised his eyebrows in confusion. He held his sword ready as she held the spear at her side, brushing her hair form her face, revealing it. The guard's eyes widened.  
"What. . .hell?" Was all he could manage to speak.  
He narrowed his eyes angrily and slashed at the girl, hacking the spear in half as she held it defensively before herself. She looked at the two pieces and threw them aside.  
"What the hell is wrong with you!?" He yelled seeing her face. "Zelda, what the hell is wrong!?"  
The girl took no recognition of the name and landed a punch on the guard's face before he even knew she had moved. He flew backwards and his sword was forced from his hand. He staggered to his feet and rubbed his jaw.  
"Damn she's strong," He muttered.  
The guard looked for his sword and moaned softly with dismay when he saw it in her grasp. She slowly walked towards him, death glinting in her eyes. The guard backed up until he hit a wall. He had nowhere to run, without leading her to many others. The girl reached out and grabbed him by the collar and held him off the ground with one arm. Then she tossed him up and held the sword up and waited. The guard closed his eyes as he fell. He should of done what he was told and he was going to pay the price. The girl didn't even move at the explosion of red blood as the guard's body hit the sword, and slid all the way down to the hilt. The girl's hands, dress, and face were covered with the red blood. She simply tossed the sword and body aside.  
"He proved a bit more entertaining," She said with a devilish smile.  
With that, she turned around and disappeared down a dark hall. 


	7. The Black Wolfos

Sorry for the long wait. Writer's block is a very evil thing. Some of this was written after watching FLCL so...it got kinda funny strange. I finally typed this up and I hope you enjoy it.  
  
Sunlight dappled the ground through the thick canopy of leaves, random light spots on dark. Gentle breezes shook the leaves, but the thick tree trunks kept the floor of the Lost Woods from feeling it. Birds flitted through the trees and the soft notes of a Skullkid's flute floated in the air. A peaceful forest was all it was.  
Link lay on his stomach by the pond that led to the Zora's River. He was dressed in his classic green tunic, white shirt and pants, and brown boots. The sleeves of his shirt hung loose on his wrists since he had left his gauntlets back with Saria, along with his weapons; why would he need them here? His green hat laid limply next to him, allowing his golden blonde hair to fall around his shoulders and neck. He propped himself up with his right arm and aimlessly flipped small pebbles into the still, crystal waters with his left; watching them swirl crazily down to the bottom. Link yawned and adjusted his right arm so his head was resting in his hand; softly thumping the ground with the toe of his boot.  
He was bored, completely bored. After the tedious, but amusing, removal of his stitches, Saria had told him to go do something outside for awhile. So here he was, lying next to a pond tossing rocks into it in sheer boredom. There wasn't much to do, or more less go, in the Lost Woods and no one lived there except for the Skullkids who avoided all contact with any beings other than themselves. None of the Kokiris seemed to want to talk to him when he had wandered through earlier that morning. He at least thought that they might be curious or maybe say "Welcome back!" or "Hi.", but none had.  
"That's a blow to the self-esteem," Link muttered tossing another rock into the water with a soft kerplunk.  
He rolled onto his back and put his hands behind his head. He wondered what had gotten into them. His arrival home wasn't what he had planned and that could've been what surprised them, or maybe they were scared of him (after all, they only came up to his waist). It could be only number of things. It was possible that they already knew what had happened, but Link doubted that. The Kokiris knew nothing of the outside world and probably wouldn't understand what he told them anyway. He stared up at the sky through the trees, it was always cloudy in the forest when it was clear everywhere else and he wasn't too sure on how that worked, but it didn't matter. Link's ears twitched and he sat up. Someone was moving around near him and he knew exactly who.  
"Come on out, Mido," He said, slight laughter hiding under his breath. "It's no use hiding now."  
He heard the all too familiar groan and Mido pushed his way through the bushes and folded his arms across his chest.  
"How do you do that?" He asked.  
"My hearing is just more acute than yours," Link answered. "Now why are you talking to me?"  
"I want to know what happened," Mido replied. "I only heard what Saria knew last night when you were knocking on Death's door. And Saria told the others not to ask questions because she didn't want you to get swarmed or overwhelmed."  
"That explains a lot then," Link muttered.  
"So what happened?"  
"I was ambushed by a large group of Lizalfos at night," Link said. "That's what happened."  
"It must've been worse than just an ambush," Mido said, sitting himself down across from Link. "Saria said that when she saw you, you were covered in blood and partially dead. I've heard your stories before and from what you've told me, Lizalfos aren't stupid. They had that all planned for you. According to Saria, you were slashed up the most, and deepest, around the most vital areas of your body that keep you alive. They were trying to kill you, but you held them of long enough to remain alive. If what I think happened is correct, you shouldn't have even been able to come here at all. If I'm right, you should've died two days ago during that attack. There's just no way!" Mido stopped for a moment. "How did you get out of there alive?"  
Link blinked, startled by Mido's short, but correct, lecture. He didn't know Mido Knew that much. He didn't even know listened to anything he said at all!  
"To be honest," He sighed. "I don't know. Near the end of the fight I knew I was finished, I knew I was going to die and so I closed my eyes and waited for them to finish me off. Then I blacked out and awakened later to see them all dead. What happened during the time I blacked out? I don't know."  
"That's a bummer," Mido sighed, folding his arms behind his head.  
"I think there was one who saw what happened," Link mumbled. "Which reminds me, where the heck did Navi disappear to?"  
Link sat still thinking for a few moments and then picked up his hat and reached inside, pulling out the small fairy. With his other hand, he gently poked her until she woke up.  
"You sleep too much, Navi," Link said as the fairy shook her head to clear the drowsiness.  
"I didn't sleep a wink last night," Navi replied rubbing her eyes. "since I was so worried about you."  
"You saw what happened when I blacked out, right?"  
"Right."  
"Tell him," The Hylian said, pointing at the small Kokiri. "He wants to know."  
"Yeah, tell me," Mido said, looking excited.  
"Alright," Navi began. "I didn't see it all, mind you, because the moonlight kept getting covered by clouds and it was pitch black for a second or two."  
"You're not gonna lie," Link began.  
"Don't worry," The fairy replied. "I won't."  
"I know you too well," Link snorted.  
"I'm not gonna lie!" Navi snapped back, but remembered what she was originally saying. "Sorry about that," She told Mido, only to have Link give a sharp laugh behind her. "He's back to normal, but anyway. You see, Link did stop fighting and it was easy to see that he couldn't continue even if he wanted to, so he dropped his guard and waited, but then he straightened himself up again and stood ready to fight. Then he rushed forward and moved so fast that nobody could follow him. Then it grew dark and I couldn't see anything and when the clouds cleared, he collapsed on the ground."  
"That's it?" Mido asked.  
"Yep."  
"Really?" Mido persisted.  
"Yep."  
"And where were you during all of this?" Link asked, narrowing his eyes at the blue fairy.  
Navi put her hands behind her back, looked sheepishly at the ground, and aimlessly kicked the air as if it were a small stone.  
"I was staying out of the way," She mumbled eventually.  
"You mean you left me there to die by myself!?" Link demanded, sending Navi careening back in surprise.  
"No," She replied, recollecting herself. "If I was down there when you became that berserker, you'd probably have killed me. You killed everything in sight."  
"You really think I'd kill you?" Link asked, looking sarcastically sad.  
"At times, yes," Navi answered with a laugh. "But I knew that wasn't really you. For one, the attack stance was a bit different and the attack style was more of a "hack-and-slash-them-to-pieces-in-one-blow" kinda thing. Then plus the crazy speed and strength! Your sword cut cleanly through their armor! With ease! It was insane!" She ranted.  
"Okay, okay, Navi," Link said, motioning for her to calm down.  
"If it wasn't Link that killed the lizards, who was it then?" Mido asked, causing Link and Navi to look at him.  
"That's the problem," Navi answered. "We don't know. Whoever it was, I'm convinced that they're psychotic and I never want to meet them again." She gave a shudder.  
Link picked up his hat, tucked his hair in it, and pulled it on; adjusting it a bit.  
"I really do hate this hat at times, but it's okay I guess," He muttered standing and brushing the grass off his pants. "I guess we should start to head back. I've already been out here for a few hours."  
Mido rose from his spot, Navi flew next to Link's shoulder, and they began walking back to the Kokiri Village. Along the way, Mido claimed he knew the way back to his home and said he was going to lead them back. Link only laughed and Mido yelled back that he was still the boss of him. Navi heard Link mutter something about how immature children were, especially Mido. At some point, Link practically left Mido behind when the small Kokiri boy turned the wrong way and the older Hylian yelled that he would see Mido again when he became a Skullkid; Mido came running back as fast as his little legs could carry him. They didn't get more than halfway back when a sudden high-pitched scream sounded and was abruptly cut off, leaving the forest in an unpleasant silence. Mido jumped at the scream and Navi hid in Link's hat.  
"What in the name of Din was that!?" Mido demanded in a harsh whisper.  
  
"I don't know," Link answered, looking around cautiously. "At least it wasn't from the village, but what was it then?"  
Navi peeked out from a few strands of Link's blonde hair.  
"If not the village, what's left?" She asked.  
Mido's eyes widened. "The Skullkids!" He exclaimed.  
"Who, in their right mind, would want to kill a Skullkid?" Navi asked, with an expression of confused disgust.  
"I'm not sure, but I want find out," Link answered, disappearing into the brush in the direction the scream came from.  
"Don't leave without me!" Mido yelled, running after him.  
Navi had moved from out of Link's hat and was riding on the top of his head, when Mido finally caught up.  
"It's just like you to do something like this," The fairy muttered as her ride trudged along. "Running off somewhere to practically die."  
"I'm not gonna fight whatever the thing was," Link replied coolly. "I just want to see what happened."  
"And the monster will see you and charge you, leave you with the only option of fighting. Do you know how many times I've seen that happen to you?"  
"Quite a few I guess."  
"Where are we going?" A small voice squeaked.  
"Shut up, Mido!" The seventeen year old shot back quietly.  
Mido bit his lip to keep from making any more noise. Eventually they approached a small clearing and Link pressed himself up against the trunk of a massive tree, hoping that would help hide his presence if whatever the thing was, was still in the clearing. A pang of fear shot through his body when he saw Mido began to walk right out into the open, so he grabbed the back of Mido's shirt collar and hauled the small Kokiri behind the tree roughly.  
"What was that for!?" Mido demanded in a harsh whisper.  
Link raised his hand, but held back the urge to slap Mido across the face and lowered it. He was just appalled at how stupid Mido's previous action was. That could've gotten him killed and then Link right after. Link simply let his anger escape in a quiet sigh. He simply shook his head at Mido, partly telling him no and partly surprised at the young boy's stupidity. Link poked his head around the edge of the tree a bit and his breath lodged itself in his throat and refused to move when he saw what was on the other side.  
Dark blood splattered the ground and trees, suggesting that the victim had been violently shook and thrown around. Bits of shredded cloth and flesh laid about, confirming that whatever was killed was shaken to death.  
"It wasn't a Kokiri," Link whispered eventually. "The blood would've been red if it was one, but it's black." He looked back at Mido.  
"Then it was a Skullkid," Mido whispered back. "Their blood is black, as far as I know anyway."  
Link opened his mouth to sat something, but quickly shut it and spun around when the loud, sickening crunch of bones breaking. All three peeked out farther from the tree and just let their jaws drop at the sight.  
A Wolfos stood over the maimed carcass of a Skullkid, but the wolf did not look normal. A normal Wolfos stood about three feet at the shoulder, but this one was easily six feet or more at its shoulder. Its entire pelt was a deep black, blacker than a moonless night, and its monstrous claws were easily as long as Mido's arms and dripped with its victim's black blood. Its tail swished slightly with the pleasure of its meal and it proceeded to swallow the rest of the Skullkid with a crunch as its remaining bones were crushed in the giant wolf's jaws; its throat expanding slightly as the food slid down. It then licked its jaws and claws with a fire-red, forked tongue.  
Link's adams's-apple bobbed in his throat. He was used to seeing blood and carnage, but this was just sickening to him and he wasn't too sure why. The aftermath of the Lizalfos battle was much worse than this, but this was just different somehow.  
The trio were about to duck behind the tree and make a break for it, but froze when the large Wolfos' red eyes locked unto them. Link's arm instinctively went back for his sword, but remembered it was back with Saria and brought his hand back down, softly cursing himself for being that stupid. The black Wolfos slowly approached them, the ground sinking a bit from under its massive paws with every step. Its pelt was so dark that it absorbed any light around it; its body never illuminated by the sun. It stopped only a few feet from the three who were rooted to the ground in terror and could feel the wolf's hot, blood-scented breath blowing against their faces. They stared into the hell-flaming red eyes that made their very skin seem as if it was burning. The black Wolfos raised a giant paw so it could splatter their helpless bodies against the tree, but stopped in mid-swing. It looked off to the side, as if some nonexistent being had spoken to it, and lowered its paw. It then turned from its prey and disappeared within the shadows of the ancient trees.  
Link brought his arms down from the defensive position he had them in and straightened himself. Navi was a fear-stiffened statue and slid off Link's head into his waiting palm, not even moving when she hit his skin. Mido stood in the same place shaking violently, not looking too pleased with himself as well as terrified. Link was the first to break the silence.  
"What's a Wolfos, that huge, doing feasting on Skullkids?" He asked possibly no one. "I mean, they are barely are a mouthful-"  
"WHO CARES WHY IT WAS!?!?" Navi screamed in Link's face, his eyes crossed since she was so close. "And can we please not discuss why Skullkids don't make very good mouthfuls, since they're so tiny!?" She floated away from his face. "Although Hylians are bigger..."  
"Shut up!" Link yelled. "This isn't the time to be cracking jokes! Wolfos don't grow that big! They never have! They're not black either, or have forked tongues, or red eyes!"  
"Your point?"  
"That wasn't a Wolfos!"  
  
"Looked like one to me."  
"Can we go now?"  
Link and Navi stopped talking and turned to Mido, who had just spoken.  
"I guess," Link said shrugging. He looked Mido up and down. "Uh...did you-"  
"Yes," The Kokiri answered flatly.  
"You've got extra shorts, right?" Navi asked, trying not to laugh and earning herself a glare from Mido.  
"C'mon you two," Link said, motioning for them to move. "Let's go before that thing comes back."  
That was all it took to keep Mido running and quiet. As they traveled back to the main path, Link was musing over the Wolfos. If it wasn't a Wolfos, then what was it? Link couldn't find an answer to that question; he kept drawing up blanks. He was thinking about the creature's forked tongue when his boots scuffed onto the dirt path; his legs instinctively taking him home, though his mind was oblivious. Navi eventually floated unto his shoulder, but he didn't feel her; Mido followed quietly behind.  
"Still thinking about the 'thing'?" She asked, causing Link to look at her.  
"I can't figure out what it is," He answered with a sigh. "I think it'll be a good idea if we don't tell anyone about this."  
"Right."  
The three traveled the rest of the way in silence, being that there wasn't really much to say and were still pretty well shaken by the previous event. Link stopped upon exiting the tunnel and looked at the village. A few Kokiris wandered about, but that was all. Maybe they were else where or they had heard the scream and were staying inside. Once again, Link was unsure about the Kokiris, but he put that thought to rest and turned to Mido.  
"Mido," He said. "don't spill a word of this to anyone, okay?"  
"Or we'll tell everyone about how you wet your pants," Navi shot in, but got slapped by Link.  
Mido nodded and ran off, probably still too scared to utter a word. Link couldn't blame him. That was probably the scariest thing Mido had ever seen since the death of the Deku Tree. That's what they got for being a sheltered race. Link scratched at a wrapping of bandages he had under his sleeve. He still had to wear some bandages since the only major healing had gone to the slashes in his chest.  
"Hey! Link! Over here!" A voice yelled, causing Link to jump a little and look around. "I'm the rock, stupid!"  
Link spun around and glared at the Gossip Stone that stood next to the Lost Woods entrance.  
"Don't call me stupid!" Link snapped at the stone.  
"How else was I supposed to get your attention?" It asked. "I can't exactly move you know."  
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Link muttered. "So what do you want?"  
"Well," The stone began. "I overheard that something horrible has happened at the castle."  
"What do I care!?" Link demanded. "Something's always going wrong there and the last time I helped, I was practically killed!"  
"Well, sorry!" The stone snapped back. "I didn't think you'd be a big pill about it, but it's different that you think."  
"How so?"  
"Three guards were killed last night, without a sound," It answered.  
"They can just replace them," Link muttered.  
"That's not the point. What's different it," The Gossip Stone's single eye looked from side to side and then whispered, "the person that they believe did the killing is the Princess Zelda."  
  
Review!!! NOW!! 


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